Rebecca Mueller/Winonan

Members of the Winona State University Environmental Club braved the cold, wind, rain and snow to celebrate the sixth annual Bike Week.

Environmental Club members did small repairs on students’ bicycles and promoted biking as an alternative form of travel.

The main attraction of the event was the Bike Week table in front of the gazebo, which was open from 12 to 3 p.m. each day of the event, from April 15 to April 19. Volunteers made small repairs on students’ bikes such as pumping tires and greasing chains. Students could also enter a drawing to win bike helmets, bike lights and a Trek bicycle sponsored by Adventure Cycle and Ski.

The Bike Week table moved inside to the Lower Hyphen in Kryzsko Commons on Wednesday when the rainy weather began. Volunteers sent students to the Bike Station in the basement of

Lucas Hall to get their bikes repaired.

“We kind of fight with the weather,” Gretchen Michlitsch, an English professor and the Environmental Club’s faculty advisor, said. She added that they also struggled with cold weather during the first Bike Week.

Another feature of Bike Week is the Bike Phantom, who placed tags on students’ bikes parked on Main Campus every morning during the event. This year’s Bike Phantom was played by Environmental Club member Mary Schulberg. Students who find a paper tag on their bike’s handlebars can bring the tag back to the Bike Week table to claim a bike light as a prize.
Bike Week is run by 30 student volunteers in the Environmental Club. This year, the volunteers fixed 24 students’ bikes.

Michlitsch recalls there used to be only a few bike racks on campus for students to park their bikes. This number has dramatically increased. She likes to think Bike Week contributed to that difference.

Bike Week has also encouraged students to use their bikes to get around town instead of driving.
“It gets me to campus faster,” Amanda Tussing, the vice president of the Environmental Club, said. She rides her bicycle to campus rather than driving her car the short distance, and said bikes are helpful for those students who don’t have a car.

The annual event began with Michlitsch and four former students who were part of a sustainability committee. Their goal was to encourage energy independence using equipment that everyone had access to. The bike rental program did not exist at the time, but the group figured that most students owned a bike or knew someone who did.

“It’s an easy project to get support for,” Michlitsch said. The group received a $500 special projects grant which they used to purchase equipment for making small repairs on bikes. They have also recieved support from Student Senate, Adventure Cycle and Ski and Kolter Bicycle and Fitness.

Many other organizations also hold traditional alternative-travel events in May. The Environmental Club chose to hold their event in the middle of April for a few reasons.

Michlitsch said the group tries to pick a week that will be warm before students are too overwhelmed by final projects. The end of the semester is usually a stressful time for students, and a large portion of the student body will move back home following finals week in May.

After Bike Week, students can still get their bikes repaired at the Bike Station. They can also rent bikes by visiting the Student Resource Center desk in Kryzsko Commons.

Contact Rebecca at [email protected]